


It was never supposed to come to this

by waddiwasiwitch



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Royai kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29986749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddiwasiwitch/pseuds/waddiwasiwitch
Summary: Roy is working on a big story for the Central Times. When Riza takes his car to work, there are some unintended consequences.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	It was never supposed to come to this

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fullmetalscully](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalscully/gifts).



> Prompt request from Tumblr
> 
> fullmetalscullyy asked:  
> oooo from that prompt list can you do “it was never supposed to come to this” for royai if that's ok, please? 🥺❤️
> 
> I feel like this only touches on what could be a longer, more interesting story, but right now I have so many WiPs that I made a one-shot :)

**It was never supposed to come to this**

Roy was exhausted, and he knew Riza was just as tired. Their five-year-old daughter was sick and woke them up in the middle of the night. 

“Did you get any sleep?” his wife asked sleepily. 

“I think about two hours.” He yawned. “Hopefully, Ellie is over the worst of it by now.”

“One of us needs to stay home,” she said.

Roy looked at his wife. “You go. I can work from home; I’m working on the final draft that exposé.”

“You’re going to ruffle a lot of feathers with that one. Bradley is a powerful man.”

A devilish smirk on his face, he said, “Oh, I hope so. That bastard has to be stopped.” He wrapped his arms around her. ” I need to have the final draft by Thursday to have to run it by legal before the weekend. Here’s hoping they won’t throw it out.”

“They won’t.” She kissed his shoulder blade. “I’m glad I didn’t go into the family business. Crunching numbers is a much safer profession.”

He snorted. “And also more boring.”

She pushed him playfully. “I better get dressed.”

“Regrettably.”

Her lip twitched. “Seeing that you’re staying home, can I take your car?”

“Sure - but why?”

“I’m almost out of gas, but you just got gas yesterday. It will save me time getting to work because I won’t need to stop for gas.”

“What’s mine is yours, love.”

“Good.” She kissed him on the temple. “Thank you. Now, do me one more favour and let me take a shower first.”

“I could join you,” he called after her.

“I don’t want to be late.”

“Make it up to me tonight.”

  
  
  


* * *

Smile on his face, Roy rolled out of bed and went to check on their daughter. He walked down the hallway to Ellie’s room. 

“Good morning, Daddy.” The little girl sat up in bed and held out her arms. 

Roy scooped his daughter into his arms. “How are you feeling, baby?”

“My tummy is still sore.”

He brushed her bangs back from her forehead. She was still feverish. “Ok, no school for you today then, sweetheart.”

Laying her head on his shoulder, she said, “Stay home with me, please.”

“I’m going to work from home today and let Mommy go to work.”

“I wish Mommy could stay home too.”

He chuckled. “Well, Mommy has to go to the office. You and I will have a good day here with you all tucked up on the sofa. Then you’ll be as right as rain for tomorrow.”

“We don’t like rain, Daddy.”

“It’s just a saying, baby.” He kissed her forehead. “It means you’ll be better tomorrow.”

“Ok,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “Can we watch cartoons?”

“You can watch cartoons. Unfortunately, Daddy has a lot of work to do.”

He walked down the stairs and into their living room. Opening the curtains, he snorted. Rain poured down in buckets outside. Well, there was another advantage to working from home.

“Does this mean I have to go to school?”

He let out a laugh. “No, silly, you’re still sick.”

* * *

Ellie was bundled up in blankets on the sofa, engrossed in the cartoons on the telly. Riza had just left after the three shared a quick breakfast. Roy balanced his laptop on his lap, the coffee table covered in his research. Roy had called the office to let them know he was working from home for the day. Havoc had promised to let him know if he got any messages. 

Working at the Central Times was enjoyable most of the time. His boss, Grumman, was his grandfather in law which meant that Roy had to work hard in the early years to prove he was employed for his skills and not his connections. A few of his colleagues thought his promotion to a senior reporter the previous year was premature, but the story he had would hopefully shut them up for good.

The doorbell rang. Roy frowned. Who would be calling this time of day when both he and Riza were usually at work. He glanced at his daughter. She had fallen back to sleep. Sighing, he prepared to send away whatever salesperson dared interrupt his morning. 

His aunt was standing on the front step when he opened the door. A shiver went up his spine.

“Chris, what are you doing here?”

“Roy, can we come in?” she asked; her face was pale.

“We?” It was only then Roy noticed his friend, Hughes, behind her. “What’s going on?”

He looked from Chris to Hughes as they walked inside. 

“Roy,” Chris put a hand on his shoulder. “Riza’s been an accident. She was rushed to the hospital.”

“An accident?” His legs felt weak. “Is she alright?” 

“Let’s go to the kitchen and sit down,” Hughes suggested. 

Roy shook his head. “I don’t need to sit down. Tell me she’s alright.” 

“It was a bad crash,” his friend said, “and they had to cut her out of the car.” 

“Oh, god.” Roy felt himself swaying. “I need to see her. Is she-” He couldn’tbring himself to say the words.

“She was alive when they got her out, but it’s serious.” Hughes caught Roy by the arm. “I’ll take you, buddy. Chris will stay with Ellie, ok?”

Chris nodded. “Don’t worry about Ellie. You just get to the hospital.”

  
  
  


* * *

Roy was scared, shaken by the events. He tried to keep calm, but he had gotten no news about Riza yet. She had been rushed into the theatre before he even arrived at the hospital. The doctors said she was stable, but she is in the operating theatre. 

He knew that Hughes has work to do, but his friend stayed with him, and he was very grateful. He knew Chris must be just as anxious and trying to keep Ellie happy. He shifted in the chair. 

Hughes’ phone rang, and he stepped away for a moment. When he returned, he looked troubled, his face pale.

“What is it?” Roy demanded. 

“Buddy, they think someone might have tampered with your car. Someone loosened the nut bolts on all the tyres, and one of them came off. We think that’s what caused the crash.”

Roy’s eyes widened. The exposé. He knew it was dangerous poking around in Bradley’s dealings. 

“If it was one bolt,” Hughes continued, ” then it could be accidental. I know you and Riza aren’t suicidal. So, any idea who would do such a thing?”

“Fuck!” Roy clenched his fists. “It was never supposed to come to this. Riza took my car this morning. They were after me, Hughes. They were after me, and they could have killed her. Hughes, it’s all my fault.”

“They? Who’s they, Roy?”

“I’m doing a huge story.” Roy looked around. “I can’t talk about it here where anybody can hear.” He took his phone and opened his documents. “I’ll show you. The passcode is Ellie’s birthday if it locks. I have to go see if someone knows something.”

Hughes took the phone from Roy, and he put his hand on his shoulder. “Riza’s strong, buddy. She’s a fighter. And it’s not your fault.”

Roy just nodded, but he was terrified. It was all his fault. Bradley had his fingers in everything. If he knew he was about to be exposed, who knew what he was capable of doing. 

“Mister Mustang?”

Roy looked up to see the doctor approach him. “How is she?” He stood up. 

“The operation went well,” she said. “We alleviated the pressure on your wife’s brain. But we won’t know anything for certain until she wakes up.” 

“You said she had other injuries.”

“She shattered her left leg, but right now, we’re more concerned with her waking up. Injuries to the brain are unpredictable.”

“Are you saying that she might have brain damage?”

“We’ll know more when she wakes up. Once she’s in the recovery room, we’ll send somebody to fetch you.”

Roy nodded, feeling a little numb. 

  
  
  


* * *

Roy sat at Riza’s bedside and held her hand. She had been out of the theatre for hours, but she still was asleep. His best friend’s wife, Gracia, had stayed at the house last night with Ellie and her daughter, Elicia. Chris had come straight to the hospital and had been here with him ever since. Chris had gone to get some food, insisting that Roy starving himself was no help to Riza. He supposed she was right, but he couldn’t think about food. 

He ran a finger across her knuckles. “Wake up, my Riza.”

Her hand moved, and his heart started to hammer his chest. His eyes went to her face where her eyelids were moving.

“Riza?”

Her eyelids opened a fraction. “Roy,” she whispered.

“You scared me,” he whispered and took both of her hands into his.

She blinked. “What happened?”

“There was an accident.”

She frowned slightly. “Oh. I don’t remember.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said, “they think my car might have been tampered with. It’s all my fault.” 

“I’m alright, Roy.”

“No, I could have lost you. It had to be Bradley and his cronies.”

She smiled. “Well, what is it that you said this morning? He has to be stopped.”

Relief flooded through his body. Already thinking about others, she was going to be ok. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Now, I’m going to call a nurse to get the doctor.”

  
  


**Fin**

  
  
  



End file.
